Random News and Notes 11 December

Guyana flagged M/T Skipper is a VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier). She measures a bit over 300m long and 60m wide and has a deadweight tonnage of 310,309 tons. She is also subject to international sanctions and an impound warrant. The Navy – primarily operators from one of the SeAL teams – executed that warrant yesterday.

The vessel and its owners are subject to sanctions because they are involved in sanctions busting oil transport. She had just been unloaded with Venezuelan oil and was bound for China.

Do you remember Kilmar Abrego Garcia? The wife-beating, human trafficking, MS-13 belonging Illegal alien? The one that got mistakenly sent to El Salvador? Yeah, him. Unbeknownst to this editor, he is still in the US and still in ICE custody. At least until today when district court judge Paula Xinis ordered his release.

The feds need to just ship him to Eswatini and be done with it.

The Federal Reserve had their monthly meeting and announced the results yesterday. They lowered the target rate by .25 basis points to 3.5-3.75%.

This editor is not an economist, but lower rates tend to increase growth. Hopefully the economy starts to take off.

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act authorizing $901 billion in spending on a 312-112 vote and sent it to the U.S. Senate for consideration next week.

The bill  includes a 3.8% pay raise for many service members and directed major acquisition reforms to speed Pentagon weapons purchases after years of delay. It also trims climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.